Couch Potato Day

By the power vested in me, I declare this day as Jane’s Couch Potato Day. There are great movies lining up and waiting to be shared with my friend - the couch.

In line with this, I post here Moviefone’s 50 Best Movies of 2008.

I put x to the movies I haven’t watch yet or don’t have interest to waste my time with; The check means I already submerged myself into it or just liked it so-so.)

50. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (x - not my type of flick)
49. Burn After Reading (x - heard Brad Pitt acts like an idiot in this movie)
48. Mamma Mia (check – it’s exclamation point!)
47. The Bank Job (x – don't have plan to watch it)
46. Bolt (check – makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside)
45. Son of Rambow (x – nah, i’m not interested)
44. W. (x- forget it, George W. Bush is already history)
43. Quantum of Solace (check – it’s passable, just another James Bond trick)
42. Defiance (x – I’ve read it’s pretty predictable Nazi inspired movie)
41. The Duchess (x - but I’ll download it soon I’m finished posting this one)
40. Appaloosa (x-no comment)
39. Wanted (check – I love Angelina!)
38. Zach and Miri Make a Porno (x- I’ve read bad reviews about this film, makes me ask, why is it included on this list?)
37. Boy A (x – i'm not interested)
36. Religulous (x- hilarious blasphemy, I’m not sure I’m into that)
35. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (x – ahmm, I’ll forget this one)
34. American Teen (x – I’ll pass this one)
33. Planet B-Boy (x- I’m not really fond of hip-hop, more so hip-hop flicks)
32. Horton Hears a Who? (check – funny funny funny!)
31. Rachel Getting Married ( x – it intrigues me though as it made Anne Hathaway being nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars)
30. Dear Zachary (x – I’m not sure this documentary was released here in Pinas but I’ve read good reviews about it)
29. Let the Ring One In (x – nothing beats Twilight when it comes to vampire movies, okay? This one is second-rated trying hard copy cat!)
28. Pineapple Express (x – I’m not sure I’ll have a good laugh with this one)
27. The Wackness (x – another hip-hop storyline.. not my cup of tea)
26. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (x – no comment)
25. Gran Torino (check – it is not perfect, much more like an indie film, BUT hey, it has a heart!)
24. Happy Go Lucky (x - but I should watch this kind of movie coz I need a dose of optimism nowadays)
23. Taxi to the Dark Side (x – honestly, I don’t have courage watching torture movies)
22. Shine a Light (x – I never heard of it until now, but my oh my, it’s about the Rolling Stones!)
21. Revolutionary Road (check – kinda awkward seeing Kate and Leo again without the Titanic and the iceberg)
20. Kung Fu Panda (check – love it!)
19. In Bruges (x – but I have to watch it, it’s Collin Farrell, hello?!)
18. Doubt (x – will watch it really really.. maybe tom)
17. JCVD (x – okay, I’ll consider it too..)
16. Role Models (x – maybe when I’m running out of ideas what to watch)
15. Surfwise (x – no, thanks)
14. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (check – hilarious and awesome!)
13. The Counterfeiters (x – Nazi again! please give the Jews their peace.)
12. The Reader (check – God, this movie is damn good! Two thumbs up!)
11. The Visitor (x – no, thanks again)
10. Tropic Thunder (x- I’m seriously considering it.. need a good laugh)
9. Milk (x – will watch it this afternoon after the Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
8. Man on Wire (x – well, it couldn’t be on top the 10 for nothing)
7. Wall-E (x- will watch it after Milk)
6. Frost/Nixon (x – I think it’s unexciting unless..)
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (x- will watch it before Milk and Wall-E)
4. The Wrestler (x – this movie puzzles me)
3. The Dark Knight (check – i love it!)
2. Slumdog Millionare (check – it’s nothing short of magnificent.. unique is another word)
1. Iron Man (x – oh sadness, why did I let it pass on theaters? Well, there’s always bit torrent, no worries..)

Wait wait wait, why is it that Changeling and Twilight are not on this list? These are great movies! Changeling made me cry. I love Angelina Jolie (who doesn’t, anyway?) and in it, I love her more. Twilight, well, needless to say, it possesses my heart.

Movie Review: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem
Director: Woody Allen
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Synopsis: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Awards: Won Best Picture (Comedy) at the Golden Globes and Best Performance in Supporting Role to Penelope Cruz at the Oscars.

Jane’s Review: I was smiling most of the time watching Vicky Cristina Barcelona. In three words, it is amusing. I love watching the magnificent panorama of Barcelona, Spain which is elaborately shown in the movie. Though Scarlett Johansson (as dreamy Cristina) and Rebecca Hall (as sensible Vicky) played their roles brilliantly, I had more fun watching Penelope Cruz as Maria Elena, the fierce and uncanny ex-wife to Javier Bardem (as celebrated painter Juan Antonio). Basically, the movie is a rueful comedy that explores the complexity of human relationships yet it is not grim. Overall, it is interesting enough without becoming frivolous. I recommend it to those who are exploring the depth of love and marriage - just yet.

I'd Still Say Yes

Christmas is my most favorite time of the year for a lot of reasons. One of these is that people are happier, richer and more giving. This morning, I found one more reason to love Christmas – it magnifies love.

The moment I woke up, I saw my husband smiling naughtily at me. I knew right away that something was cooking up. Then he said he wanted me to be his girlfriend (not as a wife) for the day and we would go for a date like we used to do before we got married. I exclaimed “What?!” I wondered why he felt like living our amorous girlfriend/boyfriend past and I swear he acted like an infatuated school boy. Was it because of the cool weather? Or the massage I gave him the previous night? I wish I knew.

Anyway, I said yes.

So we rode his bike to SM and had lunch at Maxim’s Tea House (their sweet and sour pork is mouthwatering). After that, we watched Keanu Reeve’s The Day the Earth Stood Still. We held hands throughout the movie and he would steal kisses on my cheeks that eventually made me blush. Then we went shopping for clothes (slacks and polo shirt for him from Wrangler and white tops for me from Kirin Kirin). Lastly, we braved the overcrowded supermarket to buy more stuffs for the Noche Buena.

When we arrived home, we had a meal of daing na bangus and steamed rice that brought back memories of our first month as newlyweds (I could only boil eggs or prepare corned beef out from the can back then, so he was glad when I was able to fry daing na bangus for the first time! Actually, that was the onset of my confidence to discover the kitchen world). We talked general issues during dinner such as the anatomy of aliens and Kobe Bryant’s low-cut shoes (we basically talk anything under the sun, you know). Before we went upstairs, we watched the 14th and 15th episodes of Prison Break which we downloaded from mininova.org using uTorrent.

All in all, it was a romantic day with my husband. Next time he asks me to be his girlfriend or wife or even as a mistress, I will say yes to him over and over again!

Still Can't Get Over the Twilight Fever

My good friend Chen happened to read my review of Twilight the other day and she told me through my ShoutMix that I have to read its book as it was far better than the movie. She said confidently that I would fall deeper in love with Edward Cullen after reading the book. I replied that I could buy it on the weekend yet (as if I could hold my anxiety that long). Then Chen informed me that I could read the whole saga through ebook and she emailed it to me right away.

I didn’t have any idea about the power of ebooks until I downloaded the whole thing from my inbox. When I saw Stephanie Meyer’s paperbacks (read: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and very soon, Midnight Sun) on my newly installed Microsoft Reader (which Chen also sent), I was elated! Twilight, my latest obsession, was right in front of me!

And so I immediately took a shower, changed to my sleeping dress, and turned my husband’s laptop on upstairs. Then I let the words of Meyer to transport me into the misty town of Forks, Washington. At that point, I knew my life would never be the same again.

The Twilight saga has poisoned the very core of my imagination, in a good way of course. My mind now revolves around Edward Cullen. Edward's smile, pain, passion, and voice that echoes through the halls of my soul, have become the fuel that fires my fantasies.

Chen was right, I fall deeper into my infatuation with Edward. I wish I could elaborate it further but I’m afraid someone reading this might think of sending me to an asylum.

I finished reading Twilight around noon today. This totaled almost 15 hours of facing the computer and squinting my nearly blind eyes every now and then. (I could be cruel to my eyes when I read.) I swear I felt consumed once I let go of the last word. I took a long nap after that.

After dinner, I became conscious that Twilight strongly captured my interest because it is focused on the human side of the vampires. There is an addiction in knowing how long Edward could last not hurting Bella. And also, I realized that I like the movie more because I got to see Edward’s face.

(Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen)

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Isn’t he adorable? Wait till you know how good he plays the piano. You don't have any idea how I obsessed I am in searching about him on Google and YouTube.

(Emmet, Rosalie, Esme, Edward, Carlisle, Alice, Jasper)

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Also, fictitious as it may seem, I make an effort to believe that the Cullens exist in my own little world. I so love this vampire clan.

It’s 9.40 in the evening now, the twilight will be over soon. Tomorrow, I will start reading New Moon. So, expect more posts about the vampires' saga here.

Before I end, I'd like to say my gratitude to Chen for always being sweet and kind to me. Thank you so much for everything, my friend. I'm happy that you have found your “edward” at last.

To Mommy El, my bookmate, as always. Remember the Jean Auel series? Thanks for the Edward's lullaby link. I swear, the Twilight soundtrack really rocks! It’s on my media box below. Check it out!

To all, thank you for keeping up with my craziness and for keeping me sane!

Falling in Love with Twilight

Do you know the feeling when your heart is longing for someone who could sweep you off your feet and you become consumed with it until you don’t know what is real anymore?

That’s how I felt after watching Twilight. I utterly fell in love with the movie and I absolutely cried for more!

My husband asked me if I love him this early morning. I teasingly said no because at the present my heart is beating wildly for Edward Cullen. He pouted then smiled because he said I sounded like a star struck high school girl.

I guess I am for now as I can’t get the character played by Robert Pattinson out of my mind. His lines are ricocheting through the halls of my soul over and over again. Indeed, I’m experiencing my own blast of movie estrogen right now.

Edward is a vampire. Bella is a suffering-in-silence girl. They both got attracted to each other from the first moment they met. When she found out that he was a vampire, she told him it doesn’t stop her from loving him. Edward risked being with someone he wanted to consume yet he told Bella that he doesn’t have the strength to stay away from her anymore. Her nearness became his obsession and his love for her became his religion.

For a low-budget movie like Twilight which has won over the hearts of many fans around the world, it is certainly a phenomenon. For me, it is a modern epic. Lastly, if Twilight doesn’t make you fall in love with love again, nothing else will.